Parent's Gift Guide for Toddlers (2 years old): 12 Gifts To Stimulate Child Development

Full of energy, enthusiasm, curiosity, and growing independence, your toddler is making leaps and bounds physically, mentally, and emotionally. It is important to give them the right tools or toys they need to nourish and stimulate your child’s development. Two-year olds also learn to start using more toys appropriately. Below is a parent’s gift guide perfect for two-year-olds.

Their strong desire for independence translates to taking much pride in simple accomplishments—such as solving a puzzle on her own or drawing her very first circle. Nurture this growing independence by heaping praise on these little things.
 
1) Puzzles
Toddlers take great delight in the intellectual challenge of puzzles and how they all fit together. Help her learn shapes and colors along the way.
 
2) Books
Books are perfect for any age but for your two-year-old, look for books with more than just a few words per page. At this age, your toddler will listen to stories more attentively and can even point out details in books. Short simple stories with repetition and familiar subjects will get her attention more.
 
3) Ride-on toys
Now is the perfect time to give your little one her first set of wheels.  A tricycle will be great for boosting her independence. Choose a model with a wide and stable base. Adjustable seats and under-the-seat storage are great bonuses, too. Pedaling her tricycle may be a bit much for her right now but let her fly like the wind as she finally learns how to.
 
4) Sand and water play toys
You’d be surprised what she can do with a pail and shovel — she can build a castle or just make piles. She can also play with these toys in her own tub or small pool. Sand and water mills, tub toys with moving parts and small boats all make water playtime more fun.

5) Push and Pull Toys
She’ll love having a wagon or a pull toy with strings where she can pile up her toys when she goes to the park. 

6) Role play                                                                                                                                                                               Two year olds love to imitate adult activities, especially domestic roles they are constantly exposed to. They dramatize with dolls and talk to them. Common roles taken are that of mommy taking care of baby, doctor treating a patient, cleaning the house, and cooking for the family.  Stuffed toys that portray mother-baby roles, play kitchen sets with plastic utensils and toy food, mini vacuum cleaner, doctor play set, a shopping cart all make great gifts for her.   

7) Art supplies                                                                                                                                                                           At around age two, your toddler will start drawing her first circles. Give your budding artist the tools she needs: sturdy markers, large crayons, paint, clay, blunt-end scissors, and colored construction paper. Remember to check labels to make sure everything is nontoxic and washable.  You might also want to keep all those early drawings of hers and make an album. Or stick them on lola’s refrigerator. She’ll surely appreciate the gesture. 

 8) Large construction blocks                                                                                                                                              Let your toddler’s imagination go wild with this one. You’ll be amazed at what your child can build. Make sure the pieces of the set you choose are big enough so a toddler can't fit them in her mouth. 

 9) Transportation toys                                                                                                                                                Small realistic cars, large trucks with moving parts, or small trains that can be attached to each other also spark the imagination. Avoid metal and heavy made ones, though. 

 10) Large balls                                                                                                                                                                  She’ll love playing with balls more so now that she can target her throws, maybe even make the occasional catch. 

 11) Musical instruments                                                                                                                                                       Just hearing a beat can prompt your child to do a silly dance. Music inspires her to dance, clap, spin, hop, and even shout. Rhythm instruments that are great for her right now are bells, rattles, cymbals, drums, rhythm sticks, and xylophones.

 12) Outdoor and gym equipment
An excellent way for her to channel all that energy! Your two year old loves to test herself physically—jumping from heights, climbing, hanging by her arms, rolling, running, somersaults, and the like. Great options include tunnels, climbing structures and slides, and swings with curved, soft seats and restraining straps.  This parent’s gift guide for two-year-olds can be for your own growing toddler or for your friends’ kids as well. Remember that apart from your child’s development, it’s all about the fun and exploration in this stage of her life. Let her just play and you’ll be surprised with her creativity.